Supreme Court asked the state government, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and others who want a ban on mobile hoarding vehicles in Mumbai.
The Bombay High Court had criticised the mushrooming of these billboards on wheels in the city
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday asked the state government, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and others who want a ban on mobile hoarding vehicles in Mumbai, as to why some advertising firms should be restrained from carrying on the work that they acquired on a contract.
A vacation bench of justice CK Thakker and LC Panta passed the order on the basis of an appeal filed by advertising firms restrained by the Bombay High Court from carrying out mobile advertising. The bench has also asked the authorities including the Mumbai police to respond within a month’s time. A HC division bench headed by chief justice Swatanter Kumar had heard the PIL filed by activist and gynaecologist Dr Anahita Pandole regarding the mushrooming growth of mobile advertising vans. The bench questioned the powers of the authorities by allowing mobile hoardings and completely disregarding public interest.
The bench said “Tell us where you got the powers to permit these vehicles. If there is no law to permit them, then take them off the roads immediately. It’s very sad that people spend hours on the roads due to traffic blockage by such vehicles.”
“We are convinced that these mobile hoarding vehicles are not only obstructions to free flow of traffic but also infringing in public safety, heritage precincts, cause distractions and are dangerous to drivers of other vehicles in the fast moving traffic on the busy roads of Mumbai.”
However, challenging this judgment, one of the petitioners Supri Advertising and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, said since May 2007 the mobile hoardings were displayed at only earmarked places and the van stayed at each spot for only two hours. The petitioner also said that his business was affected by the HC order as he had taken contracts to display the ads across the city as well as in the eastern suburbs and western expressway zones.
Former union law minister Arun Jaitley who argued for the petitioner said the petitioner had deposited over Rs25 crore towards licence fee, occupancy charges, acquiring modern equipment and vehicles, etc. However, Pandole’s counsel UU Lalit and Gaurav Goel opposed the plea saying that the HC had criticised the authorities for allowing the mobile hoarding vans to mushroom on the arterial roads within the city and for damaging a large number of trees in the process.
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